Process of producing wire-bars.



No. 638,9l7. Patented Dec. I2, 1899.,

E. EMERSON.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING WIRE BARS.

(No Model.)

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NI'IED STATES ELISI-IA EMERSON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

PROCESS OF PRODUClNG WIRE-BARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,917, dated December12, 1899. Application filed May 4, 1899. Serial No. 715,520. sp mensJ Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELISHA EMERSON, of Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Processes of Producing Wire-Bars; and I hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

This invention has reference to an improved process for manufacturingwire-bars by electrodeposition adapted for the manufacture of wire.

In the manufacture of copper wire adapted for use as conductors ofelectricity it is necessary to smelt the ore, refine the metal, and castthe refined metal into bars, to be afterward drawn out by the usualprocesses into wire. Wire so produced contains more or less impurities,which acting as resistances restrict the conducting capacity of theWire.

It has been found in practice that copper wire drawn from bars made byelcctrodeposition of the metal has a higher capacity for conductingelectric currents than wire made from bars produced by melting themetal. The process for making bars by electrodeposition of the metal asheretofore practiced is slow and expensive.

The object of my invention is to produce bars adapted to be drawn intowire directly from the unrefined metal by electrolysis more rapidly andat less cost than was heretofore possible.

The invention consists in the peculiar and novel method whereby a spiralstrip of metal is produced by electrodeposition on a cathode, removedfrom the cathode and wound spirally at right angles to the positionoccupied on the cathode, placing the same on a cage suspended in adepositing-tank, so as to expose all the surfaces of the strip of metal,and increasing the sectional area of the strip by electrodeposition ofthe copper on the strip until a bar of sufficient size is produced,which may be rolled or drawn into wire, as will be more fully set forthhereinafter.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a tank provided with acylindrical cathode adapted to produce a spiral strip of metalbyelectrodeposition. Fig. 2 is a side view of a strip of metal woundspirally. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsectional view of a tank provided with a rotatable shaft supporting acage on which the spirally-wound wire shown in Fig. 2 is placed andshowing the electric connection from the dynamo to the shaft and to theanodes in the tank. Fig. 5 is a sectional View of part of the cathode,showing the insulatingstrip flush with the surface of the cathode andthe strip of deposited metal. Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section,of the strip of deposited metal as it is taken off from the cathode.Fig. 7 is an edge view, partlyin section of the strip shown in Fig. 6.Fig. 8 is a side View, partly in section, of the bar of metal producedby elcctrodeposition.

In the drawings, 04 indicates the bottom of the tank; I) b, the ends ofthe tank; I) b, the bearing-blocks on which the cathode c is j ournaled;c 0, gears for rotating the cathode c; o a pulley connected by a shaftwith one of the gears c, by which the cathode may be rotated from someprime motor; 0 c spirally-placed insulating material preferably insertedinto a groove formed spirally on the cylindrical surface of the cathode,and 0 a spiral strip of metal deposited on the cylindrical surface ofthe cathode.

The exposed cylindrical surface of the oathode is prepared in the usualmanner by coating the surface with a solution of iodine in turpentine orby first silvering the surface of the cathode and then treating the samewith a solution of iodine in alcohol before the metal is deposited, sothat the strip 0 may be removed. I prefer the construction described, inwhich the insulating material 0 is shown flush with the cylindricalsurface of the cathode, because I find in practice that on depositingthe strip 0 the edges of the same are built up, slightly rounded incrosssection,by the electrodeposition of the metal. This makes the strip0 somewhat wider than it would be if formed between projectinginsulating material. As soon as a spiral strip of sufficient thicknessto be safely handled is formed on the cathode I remove the strip fromthe cathode and wind the same spirally with the fiat surface at rightangles to the axis of the spiral, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in

which the edges of the strip extend along the inner side and the outerside of the spiral.

For convenience of identification the spirally-wound strip shown inFigs. 2, 3 and at is indicated by the letter (Z.

The cage 0 is preferably formed of wood coated with an acid-proofmaterial, but may be formed of rubber or even of metal covered withrubber or other acid-proof and non-conducting material.

The edgewise spirallywound strip d is placed upon the cage 0 havingcircular rings 0 at the opposite ends connected by lengthwise-extendingbars 0'. As shown in Fig. 4, the cage 0 is supported on the shaft 0journaled in the ends I) b of the tank and provided with a pulley bywhich it can be rotated. The dynamo e or other source of electric energyis connected with the brush e, which is in contact with the rod 0,supported by the strip at and revolved by it, and the dynamo is alsoconnected by wires 6 with the series of anodes in the tank. Thespirally-wound strip 01 now becomes the cathode. All parts of itssurface are exposed and all parts receive additions of metal byelectrodeposition. The contact of the rod 0 with the spiral strip 61completes the connection with the source of electric energy. As theshaft 0 revolves the cage 0 revolves at practically the surface speed ofthe shaft, and as the strip 01 passes through the liquid in the tank theelectrodeposition of the metal proceeds.

In practice I find that the electrodeposition of the metal on the spiralstrip d is greater near the outer edge of the spiral on the oppositesides of the fiat strip (1 than it is near the inner edge, so that thebar (1 produced is oval or egg-shaped in cross-section, as is shown inFig. 8. The bard may be rolled or drawn out in the usual manner toproduce wires of any desired diameter or cross-section, which wires,being formed of pure metal produced by electrodeposition, are especiallyadapted for electric conductors. 1

By this improved process the production of wire rods byelectrodeposition is greatly facilitated and the cost of the plant isgreatly reduced, because one cylindrical cathode will produce a seriesof thin strips adapted to be wound edgewise into the spiral strip d,while a number of these strips 01 are being subjected to theelectrodeposition of the metal to form the bars 01.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The process herein described for producing bars bythe electrodeposition of metal, the same consisting in formingelectricallya spiral strip of metal on a cylindrical cathode, removingthe strip from the cathode, winding the so-removed strip spirally withits broad sides at right angles to the axis of the spiral, mounting theso-wound spiral strip on a supporting cage or base, immersing the stripwith its support to form a cathode, rotating the spiral strip andelectrodepositing metal on the spiral strip, as described.

2. The steps in the process herein described, the same consisting inwinding a flat strip of electrodeposited metal into a spiral having thebroad sides of the strip practically at right angles to the axis of thespiral to form a cathode; supporting the cathode in a tank anddepositing additional metal on the spiral strip by electrodeposition, asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ELISI-IA EMERSON.

Witnesses:

J. A. MILLER, Jr., B. M. SIMMs.

